Light dimmer for motor vehicles



Sept. 23 1924.

B. F. BAILEY, JR

LIGHT DIMMER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 20, 1922 vwentoz l 'atented Sept. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1 1,509,538 PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN I. BAILEY, .13., OF LUCEDALE, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO BENJAMIN I. TROTTER, OF LUGEDALE, MISSISSIPPI.

LIGHT DIMMER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

Application filed January 20, 1922.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. BAILEY, J r., a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of Lucedale, county of George, and State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Light Dimmers for Motor Vehicles, of which the following is afull and clear specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple device whereby the dimmer resistance may be shunted into the circuit to dim the lights by means of one of the control devices usually mounted on the steeringhead, the finger-lever of this control device being arranged as usual in a position for greatest convenience in manipulating. In this way, I provide a means for opening and closing the dimmer-switch without adding to the vehicle any additional manually-operable devices on the steering-head or on the instrument-board, and at the same time I provide for operating the dimmer in such a convenient way that the driver will be in duced to dim his lights whenever it is de sirable todo so.

In the drawing- Fi 1 is a diagrammatic view of one sys tem 1n which my invention may be conveniently embodied;

Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views hereinafter described.

In the drawing, I show my dimmer appliance inserted in the circuit at a point between the selective-switch 5 and the usual bright-light terminal 6 on the usual terminal-block 7. The battery or generator, or both, is illustrated conventionally at 8, and the usual bright-light conductors 9 extend from the terminal 6 to the headlamps.

In the form of device I have chosen for illustrating my invention, I use a block of insulating material 10 and fastened to the opposite edges thereof are metallic terminal-plates 11. One of these plates 11 is folded over on top of the block 10 and made resilient to form a resilient contact point 12. The other plate 11is extended upwardly and folded upon itself to form a curved contact-finger 13 having acontact point 14 which normally contacts with point 12 but which may be separated from the point 12 by springing the finger 13 outwardly, as shown in Fig. 2. One of the Serial No. 530,597.

plates 11 is connected by a conductor 15 to the head-lamp-terminal 6 and the other is connected by a conductor 16 to the conductor 17 leading from the selective-switch, this connection being desirably secured by a screw 18 screwed into a convenient part of the dash-board on the inner face thereof.

The insulating-block 10 contains a trans verse resistance element 19 which connects the two plates 11 at a point between the contacts 12'14. and the point of connection of the two conductors 15-16. I screw the provided with a fiber wheel 22 which makes the contact against the finger 13 and at its other end it is formed into a U-shaped clip 22 which may be clamped on the controlrod 20 inany position desired by means of a set-screw 23. I

In installing the device, it has been found desirable to so position the contact-breakerarm 21 on the spark-control-rod that it will lie close to the finger 13 when the sparklever is adjusted to average running position, so that a slight movement of the finger-lever in the direction to retard the spark will open the contacts 121 1 and thus throw in the resistance element 19 and dim the lights. Ihave found that this device maybe thus applied to the spark-controlrod without materially interfering with the operation of the sparlccontrol, since the slight movement from average driving position that is required to throw in the resistance element will not be sufficient to noticeably disturb the spark adjustment.

With this arrangement, it will be seen that the greatest degree of convenience posto throw in the dimmer whenever it at all necessary,whereas with the dimmer capable of being put into operation only by the manipulation of a separate manual switch mounted somewhere on the instru merit-board, the driver would inconvenience himself to put the dimmer in only in special cases, if at all. In my device, the putting of the dimmer in is such a trivial matter that there will be no inducement to side-step this responsibility, and consequently the driver will soon acquire the habit of dimming. his lights on every occasion where it may possibly be needed.

I have shown my device as adapted. to a Ford car, but it will be understood that details of construction may be modified to render it applicable to other makes of cars and evento electrically-driven cars.

I do not desire to be understood as limit ing myself to the precise details of constri'zction and arrangement shown, as variations and modifications therefrom may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention and improvements. 1 therefore reserve the right to all such variations and modifications as properly fall within the scope of my invention and,improvements and the terms of the following claims.

lVhat I claim is:

l. A motor vehicle having a sparltcontrol rod and a linger-piece 0n the steering-head for. manipulating it, a lighting s 'stem for the headlights of the vehicle, a dimmer switch in the supply circuit thereof, and means whereby this switch may be opened and closed by a rotative operation of said spark-control rod without interfering with the regular use of said spark-control: rod or restricting its range of movement.

2. A motor vehicle having a spark-control rod and a finger-piece on the steeringhead spark-control rod and a finger-piece on the ste ig-head for manipulating, it, a lighting system for the headl ghts of the vehlclc, a duninerswitch in the. supply circuit thereof, and me: ns whereby this switch may be opened and; closed by operation of said sparh-control rod, said'means consisting of anoperating: arm fastened tothesparlecontrol rod, a block of insulation adjacent the dash-board and carr ing normally-closed contacts, one of which carries a finger adapted to, be operated by said arm, a resistance element in the block, and conductors leading. from the respective contacts tov the lamprsupply, conductors and to the current source.

l. A motor vehicle having a spark-control rod and a linger-piece on the steering-head for manipulating it, a lighting system for the. headlights of the vehicle, dimmerswitch in the. supply circuit thereof, and an element attached to the rod! at such a point that it will operate the switch by, a rotative operation of the spark-control rod at an intermediate point in the. range of moveinent thereof, whereby the regular use of the spark-control rod will'not be in any wise interfered with.

In testimony whereof I hereunto, affix my signa-ture.

BENJAMIN F. BAILEY, JR, 

